


Love A Genius

by MaxKowarth



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), UNIT: the New Series (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Everybody Lives, F/F, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, One Shot, Side Story, Sisters Of The Unexplained, Temporal Shenanigans, Useless Lesbians, awards ceremony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 08:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxKowarth/pseuds/MaxKowarth
Summary: Why does everyone want Osgood to attend an evening event at King Henry's University?Why does that everyone include the enigmatic Professor River Song?





	Love A Genius

The once grand terrace in Bromley was now a mass of flats with the occasional tech start up behind private doors.  
The bedroom window at 26A flickered as though caught in an intimate lighting storm and then fell quiet. This was a good three hours before the intended resident arrived home.

Osgood stood at her front door, flicking her nail over the ridges of the door key in her pocket. In her other pocket lay a perfectly innocuous sheet of card, slightly brocaded and smartly laser printed.  
She didn’t really want to think about either but choose the key first, letting herself in and shrugging off her coat. She had taken three steps away from the hook before returning to collect the card. She stared at it for a moment. It was an invitation to an award event at King Henry’s University.  
UNIT had sponsored awards there before, often headhunting scientific talent there. It was how Osgood had come to their attention herself, long before her work at the National Physics Laboratory.  
Usually she’d have filed it straight into the bin but Kate Stewart had seemed a little desperate for Osgood to join her, more so than usual.  
‘I’m not going to Order you.’ were her words, clearly implying that she would if she could. It had set her off kilter so much that her usual path to the kettle had led her to the bedroom instead.  
Irritated with herself she threw the invitation to the bed and only then noticed the box sat there.  
The box was the same structure as the invitation. Not just card but such a similar card that it could have been sliced from the same sheet.  
On top of it was a random fluorescent green post it note reading ‘For tonight, Love a genius, R’ and a scarlet lipstick mark.  
This was beginning to feel like a conspiracy. She tore the top from the box and scowled at the contents.

-

Kate Stewart circled the room one more time before finally downing the Bellini she’d been nursing since she arrived. The atrium was buzzing with learned ‘techno babble’ as her son would call it and swarms of nervous undergraduates in bow ties tried to keep everyone supplied with drinks and canapés that looked as though they had escaped the biology department.  
Her reason for attending was rapidly disappearing and she gave serious thought to slipping away like Cinderella a good 3 and half hours early. She would make sure that she kept both of her stilettos, even if she had to hide them in her purse.  
She was certain that Osgood would have been on time if she was going to show at all. She sighed and found herself edging toward the cloakroom to reclaim her raincoat and hideaway the clingy blue gown she had chosen to wear when she collided with a smart suit. She turned hurriedly, her blonde hair messily obscuring her vision for a moment. 

At first she saw a pair of mauve converse at the end of some slim fit formal trousers. To most people the first thought would be that they were utterly mismatched, for Kate her first thought was how well the shoes would suit Osgood.  
Then she realised the trousers were part of an exquisitely tailored tuxedo whose cumberbund matched the shoes.  
“Sorry.” Kate and the tuxedo said in unison.

“Kate?” asked the tuxedo reaching up to adjust her glasses, unused to seeing quite this much of her boss in public.  
“Osgood! I thought you weren’t coming…” Kate caught herself before she could start babbling. She absolutely wasn’t stood staring at the gorgeous scientist being fantastically attractive and in no way blushing at the thought of removing all the pins that were holding up her hair. Certainly not thinking of using her teeth to do so.

“I…” Osgood knew she was blushing. She knew she hadn’t intended to come, knew that finding the tux apparently left by Professor River Song was somehow incredibly significant. And knew that she was staring at Kate in the low cut blue dress that clung to her and made Osgood think of how good it would look led across her bed. She forced herself to blink.  
“…the hair took longer than I expected.” Osgood finished, lamely.  
“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Kate stammered her unexpected confession.  
“Thanks. You.. Are” Osgood finally looked away, down at her own feet, disbelieving and slightly ashamed, quickly changing the subject before she told her boss she loved her. “Did I miss the presentation?”  
“No, no you are absolutely perfect. Perfectly on time.” Kate replied and hooked her arm in Osgood’s. “Not as though they can start without you.”  
“What does that mean?” Osgood frowned as she allowed herself to be led through the atrium and across a field of tables to a reserved space near the stage.

-

Osgood sat straight in the chairs that hadn’t changed since she had been the undergrad handing out drinks. She didn’t know what to do with her hands and they worked from her knees to her thighs of their own accord.  
Her eyes kept sliding sideways to Kate. That gown was not designed for sitting with ankles crossed, the gap up the side flashing a considerable amount of skin from thigh to strappy stilettos. Osgood took a deep breath, held it for a moment then used the breath out to lift her head, only to be captured by the sight of Kate’s smiling profile as her boss applauded whatever had been said on stage.

Osgood chided herself that she hadn’t been paying attention and dug nails into her own palms. Forcing herself to look up at the stage, she was fairly surprised to see Malcolm Taylor had taken the podium. He strode confidently toward the lectern, collided with it, dropping his notes. In bending to collect them he caught his tie on the mic and boggled at the assembled audience for a moment before cracking his head against the support column.  
Osgood leapt up from her seat, directly onto stage and rescued her nervous colleague from the hazards of public speaking.  
She was joined by one of the undergrads, proffering water and they both guided him to a seat.  
She glanced at the bruising already blossoming on his neck before she accepted the notes from his trembling hand in exchange for the glass of water that she hoped he wouldn’t spill over himself.

“Apologies on Doctor Taylor’s behalf, ladies and gentlemen.” Osgood resettled her glasses, returned to the lectern and lifted his notes, leaving him with the equally nervous undergraduate.  
“Good evening,” Os scanned the first few paragraphs in the hope that she’d find a point to any of it. That didn’t happen until page 2.  
“So far tonight we have celebrated the genius of the alumni of these hallowed halls…” Os rolled her eyes at the style and put down the notes after making sure they didn’t get any better.  
“Whatever were you thinking with all this drivel, Malcolm?” the audience chuckled warmly in reply. She could see Taylor grin ruefully and almost shrink into himself, tie now removed and stuffed into his jacket pocket. The undergrad was rubbing his back, afraid he would be sick or such.  
There was movement at the corner of the stage. Someone must have worked out the planned speech wasn’t going ahead.  
The Dean (a tall woman who looked like Anna Chancellor cosplaying as Eddie Reader from the Fairground Attraction days) was helping Kate up onto stage. Despite the distraction Osgood realised she had something she wanted to say and this might be her only opportunity. She squinted back out at the room through the lights and cleared her throat.

“Ladies and gentleman, no, not all of those who are sat in the seats with the purse strings, I’m talking to all of _you_ wonderful people in your bow ties and aprons. Yes _you_, the undergraduates disguised as serving staff! No matter what you’ve seen in these halls tonight, you are the people we should be celebrating, because science, art and even those degrees with too many acronyms are really all about the future. They are all about understanding what’s right in front of you and making the best of it. I’ve stood in your shoes, not as long ago as it looks, honestly. And I just want you all to know, whatever extra credit they promised to save themselves hiring actual waiters tonight, it’s all about _you. You_ are the celebration here, because you are the future.”

Osgood stepped back from the lectern and nodded firmly, trying not to let the pain in her chest explode in a need for her inhaler. The room was filled with applause but from her position now all she could really see was lights and look on the Dean’s face.  
She was beaming with a remarkable smile.  
And that wasn’t what Osgood had expected at all. She could feel her mouth falling open only to be distracted by the firm hand of Kate Stewart on her shoulder. Lips brushed her cheek and faintly she could hear Kate’s voice say ‘inhaler.’

Kate moved past the stunned scientist and held up her palms, motioning for quiet that soon swamped the room. She smiled out at the assembled dignitaries and turned away from them, her distinguished profile still close enough to the mic for every syllable to be broadcast while her eyes were on her team.  
“Thank you, Doctor Osgood, for your impassioned words in place of Dr Taylor. I would, however, like to make one last address to the past of King Henry’s before we let the undergraduate’s storm the stage. Present company accepted.” Kate’s smile was audible in her words and Osgood took a second draw on her inhaler to hide the way that made her feel.

“As you mentioned, Osgood, you too are an Alumnus of this university. And as we are all celebrating the genius that has bestrode these flagstones it seems only fitting that this year’s recipient of the Ingram-Hyde award for Physics be among their number.”  
Kate held her hand out toward Osgood who turned to look at Malcolm. Malcolm turned only to find a curtain behind him and looked back at his boss.  
“Os” Kate prompted and by some miracle the mic missed it. The younger woman took a step toward the outstretched hand, taking in how delicately the nails had been painted as she took it.  
“Congratulations Osgood” Kate said, loud enough for the room to hear. She must have said more, maybe explained what the award was about but before she got that far Kate Stewart had kissed Osgood. Not a quick peck on the cheek or a fleeting brush of the lips to be polite.

They had kissed and Osgood’s sense of the room around her vanished. Logically the crowd would expect her to be stunned so that gave her time to catch up on the desperate need to relax and control her breathing. It felt an awful lot like the first time she had fallen out of a plane.  
“…in recognition of outstanding results on the borders of human knowledge. Dean Luther would like you to present you with this year’s Ingram-Hyde award.” Kate concluded as Osgood returned to the world around her.  
The Dean stepped forward with a frame and a small case featuring a cut glass replica of the Thascalos crystal. Osgood made to take it from her only to discover she was still holding Kate’s hand. Her boss smiled at her and let go to applaud.

The dean took the lectern next but Osgood didn’t take any of that in. it took Malcolm’s physical coaxing moments later to return the young woman to the mic. Fortunately that had given her just enough time to formulate a reply.  
“I really don’t know what to say. I’m nothing special, I’m just Osgood. So remember that all of you out there, someone disagreed with me enough to put me forward for this and someone else didn’t believe me enough to actually honour me with it. If they can be wrong in such a huge way then there’s hope for all of us!”  
“Osgood, there is self depreciation and there is downright misinformation. You are our genius, and don’t you forget it.” Kate replied to her on mic. Only when she drew her and the award into a comforting, if not actually comfortable hug did she whisper “My genius.”

-

‘You have placed a chill in my heart’ by the Eurhythmics was playing in the background and Osgood was using it as a life line in order to distract from the constant presence of people trying to congratulate her. She had learnt diplomatic platitudes the hard way and navigated the path from the 15th group of well wishers to the ladies where she found the cubicle closest to the window and debated climbing out of it to get away. She had even climbed onto the sill to see how wide the window would open when a throat was cleared behind her.

“It doesn’t take a genius to tell you that you aren’t getting out that way.” Purred a voice that shouldn’t be familiar but still made Osgood sigh and climb back down.  
Professor River Song looked far too stunning for a university awards ceremony. She could have stepped straight out a Paris catwalk in the 1960’s. For all Osgood knew she had.  
“Isn’t all this a bit small fry for you?” Osgood frowned at the interloper. “Not that I’m not grateful, the tuxedo is a surprisingly good fit.”  
“I have an excellent eye,” River smiled “some say I have two, what do you say?” the woman leaned closer and Osgood stepped back before she could be kissed.  
“Yes, absolutely spot on but I still don’t see why you’d be involved in my award. Did Kate put you up to it?” Osgood felt a wave of jealousy crash over her but for the moment she couldn’t say who she was more jealous of.  
“Is she here too? Yummy, two for the price of one.” River winked flirtatiously. She placed a hand on Osgood’s well tailored lapel and began to lean in once more. “Don’t worry sweetie, tonight you are merely a butterfly’s wing.”

“I think you’ll find that she is Osgood. And I’d thank you to take a step away.” Ordered Kate Stewart from the doorway. Her purse was open and the pistol it had contained was placed firmly in River’s eye line.  
Osgood tried very hard not to find that a turn on but utterly failed.  
“Ah there she is, ready to protect her favourite asset.” There was something in her pronunciation that made the whole thing sound like an innuendo. “Honestly, all I’m doing here is making sure things flow in the right direction. The award is darling, and I’m sure well deserved. But I’m here for Sophie.” Kate and Osgood met each other’s eyes with similar blank looks. “No you won’t know who that is. She brought you that Bellini when you arrived Kate, she came to help your Dr Taylor in his hour of need and most importantly she listened to your wonderful, impassioned speech Osgood.”

River’s smile was wolfish, inviting and made both UNIT women think independently dangerous thoughts.  
“And one day she’ll have one of those darling little crystals all of her very own. Now my mission is over and that leaves with me the rest of the night off and the three of us just stood here. I don’t suppose anyone brought handcuffs?” she teased, wickedly.  
Kate laughed, lowering her pistol.  
Osgood coughed and shuffled her feet. Kate raised an eyebrow. Osgood raised her hand with a metallic clink.  
“They were in the pocket of the suit. I thought they were important…”  
River Song grinned and winked at both of them. “Did I say? Love a genius.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by 'The Power of River Song' this fits into my 'Sisters of the Unexplained' Universe which may eventually see the light of day


End file.
